Notation
Note: The tunes below are recorded in what
is called “abc notation.” They
can easily be converted to standard musical notation via highlighting with
your cursor starting at “X:1” through to the end of the abc’s, then
“cutting-and-pasting” the highlighted notation into one of the many abc
conversion programs available, or at concertina.net’s incredibly handy “ABC
Convert-A-Matic” at

**Please note that the abc’s in the Fiddler’s
Companion work fine in most abc conversion programs. For example, I use
abc2win and abcNavigator 2 with no problems whatsoever with direct
cut-and-pasting. However, due to an anomaly of the html, pasting the abc’s
into the concertina.net converter results in double-spacing. For
concertina.net’s conversion program to work you must remove the spaces
between all the lines of abc notation after pasting, so that they are
single-spaced, with no intervening blank lines. This being done, the F/C
abc’s will convert to standard notation nicely. Or, get a copy of
abcNavigator 2 – its well worth it.[AK]

WHIFFLE
TREE. American, Quadrille. Edison
51236 (78 RPM), 1923, John Baltzell (appears as last tune of "Old Red Barn
Medley Quadrille") {Baltzell was a native of Mt. Vernon, Ohio, as was
minstrel Dan Emmett (d. 1904). Emmett returned to the town in 1888, poor, and
later taught Baltzell to play the fiddle}.

WHIGS OF FIFE. Scottish, Reel. F Major (most versions): G Major
(Aird). Standard. AB (Surenne): AAB (Gow): AABB (Aird, Kerr, Martin): AABB'
(Athole): AABBCCDD (Marshall). John Glen finds the tune earliest published in
Neil Stewart's 1761 collection (pg. 24). The tune was published in a sheet by William Marshall, and is sometimes therefore attributed
to him. Yet, as Kate Dunlay points out, it is unlikely he composed it for he
would only have been aged 13 when the tune appeared in Stewart’s 1761
collection. It is more reasonable, suggests Dunlay, that Marshall composed the
last two parts as variations.Marshall
was a staunch Tory all his life and so perhaps had no love for the Whigs of the
County of Fife, Scotland. John Glen finds the tune earliest published in Neil
Stewart's 1761 collection (pg. 24). Aird (Selections),
vol. II, 1785; No. 43, pg. 16. Gow (Complete
Repository), Part 1, 1799; pg. 29. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 2; No. 182, pg. 21. Marshall, Fiddlecase Edition, 1978; Kinrara Collection (1800), pg. 26.
Martin (Ceol na Fidhle), Vol. 2,
1988; pg. 28. Stewart-Robertson (The
Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 205. Surenne (Dance Music of Scotland), 1852; pg. 126. Rounder
7059, Alex Francis MacKay with Gordon MacLean – “Gaelic in the Bow” (2005).

WHILE MAUREEN IS FAR AWAY. Irish, Air (4/4 time). D Minor.
Standard tuning. One part. Source for notated version: "Received in
1884...from Mr. John Healy, Teacher of Smithstown National School near
Castlecomer Co. Kilkenny. He was then over 70 years of age, and had learned
these tunes in early life" (Joyce). Joyce (Old Irish Folk Music and Songs), 1909; No. 340, pg. 156.

WHIM [1], THE. AKA – “Bartholomew
Fair.” English, Country Dance Tune (6/8 time). G Major. Standard tuning. AB
(Sharp): AABB (Barnes). The tune dates to 1695 where it appears in the 9th
edition of John Playford’s English
Dancing Master. It was reprinted in 1721 in the 17th edition of
the work, with the title “The Whim, or Bartholomew Fair.” Regarding the
alternate title, Bartholomew Fair is
the name of Ben Jonson’s play, written in 1614, and refer to an annual fair
held in West Smithfield held
between the years 1133–1855 on St. Bartholomew’s Day. So famous was the fair
that aspects of it entered popular vernacular, at leas for a time. For example,
a ‘Bartholomew doll’ was a tawdry, overdressed woman, in association with a
flashy, bespangled doll that could be found for sale at the fair. A
‘Bartholomew pig’ was a very fat person, derived from the fact that one of the
chief attractions of the fair were pigs, roasted whole, and sold piping hot to
the crowd. Shakespeare makes reference to this in Henry IV (ii 4) when Falstaff
calls himself:

***

A tidy little Bartholomew boar-pig.

***

Bruce
Olson finds the melody also published in Walsh’s Compleat Country Dancing Master of 1718, and reprinted by the same
publisher in 1735 in his Third Book
of the same work. John Glen (1891) finds the earliest appearance of a Scottish
tune by this name in print in Robert Ross's 1780 collection (pg. 12).Barnes (English
Country Dance Tunes), 1986. Sharp (Country
Dance Tunes), 1909/1994; pg. 53. Harvest 0777 7
81428 29, Albion Dance Band – “The
Prospect Before Us” (1993. Orig. rec. in 1976).

WHINHAM’S JIG. AKA and see “Me
Mother’s Jig.” English, Jig. England, Northumberland. Composed by Robert
Whinham (1814-1893). The tune appears under this title in the T. Armstrong
manuscript (c. 1850, in John Armstrong of Carrick’s collection), and in L.
Baty’s manuscript (1883, Beamish Museum), as researched by Graham Dixon. Topic 12TS388, High Level Ranters – “Four in a Bar.”

WHINHAM’S REEL. AKA and see “Mrs. Thompson of Gofton’s
Strathspey,” “The Pibroch!” English,
Reel. G Major. Standard tuning. AABB: AABBCCDD’EE’ (Callaghan): AABBCCDDEAABB
(Dixon). Composed by Robert Whinham, an itinerant Northumbrian musician, fiddle
and dancing master, teacher and composer, who lived between 1814 and 1893.
Whinham ended his days in a workhouse in Morpeth where he was registered as a
“teacher of music in Morpeth (Northumberland).” The only known photograph of
him was taken there. Callaghan (2007) notes the tune is popular throughout
England, although usually only the first two parts are played. Source for
notated version: Colin Ross [Dixon]. Callaghan (Hardcore English), 2007; pg. 94. Dixon (Remember Me), 1995; pg. 17. Folktracks
30-119, Billy Ballantine – “Whistle in the Wind.” Topic Records, Willie Taylor
& Joe Hutton– “Bonnie North Tyne.”
REDE 002, Dishalagie – “Berwick Pipes.” Topic 12TS184, High Level Ranters –
“Northumberland for Ever.” Topic 12TS239, George Hepple & Donald Ridley (et
al) – “Wild Hills o’ Wannies.”

WHIP HER AND GIRD HER. AKA and see “Ranger’s Frolick.” Scottish, Irish,
English; Country Dance Tune or Jig. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABC
(Geoghegan): AABBCCD (Joyce). The melody appears in the Drummond Castle Manuscript (in the possession of the Earl of
Ancaster at Drummond Castle), inscribed "A Collection of Country Dances
written for the use of his Grace the Duke of Perth by Dav. Young, 1734."
Joyce obtained the melody from the Pigot collection. Northumbrian musician
William Vickers included the melody in his 1770 manuscript collection (as
“Whipper and Girder”), with “Ranger’s Frolick” as an alternate title. See also
“Ranger’s Frolick,” by which name the melody appears in English country dance
collections. Geoghegan (Compleat Tutor
for the Pastoral or New Bagpipe), c. 1745-46; p. 24. Joyce (Old Irish Folk Music and Songs), 1909;
No. 722, p. 360.
X:1

T:Whip
Her and Gird Her

M:6/8

L:1/8

R:Jig

S:Geoghegan
– Compleat Tutor for the Pastoral or New
Bagpipe (c. 1745-46)

WHIP(PING) THE DEVIL AROUND THE STUMP. AKA
and see "Booger Man," "Chasing the Devil
Around the Stump," "Hummingbird
Reel." Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA, Eastern Tenn., Western N.C.
Broadway Records A1964 (78 RPM), 1924?, J. Dedrick Harris {Harris was a
legendary fiddler, born in Tennessee, who played regularly with Bob Taylor
while he was running for Governor of the state in the late 1800's. He moved to
western North Carolina in the 1920's and influenced a generation of fiddlers
there: Osey Helton, Bill Hensley, Manco Sneed and Marcus Martin, to name a few
of the outstanding ones}. In the repertoire of Osey Helton.

WHISKEY. AKA
and see "Rye Whiskey [2]."
Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA, Pennsylvania. G Major. Standard tuning. AB.
"The whole second strain of the present version is evidently made up with
a basis of material from the two final bars of the first half. Tunes in which
the second part shows clear evidence of derivation from the first are not
infrequent in the folk dance music of our tradition, either British or
American. They reveal to us another way in which a 'half‑tune' (either
incompletely remembered or originally only one strain long) can be eked out to
produce a tune of normal reel or hornpipe length" (Bayard, 1944).
'Whiskey', with an 'e' is the American and Irish spelling of the word, while
'whisky' suffices for Scotland and England (as well as Canada). The root for
either spelling is the Gaelic 'usquebaugh', which means 'water of life'. Source
for notated version: Irvin Yaugher Jr. (Mt. Independence, Pa., 1943; one of his
mother's favorite tunes) [Bayard]. Bayard (Hill
Country Tunes), 1944; No. 35.

WHISKEY AND BEER. AKA and see "Another Jig Will Do," “Tight Breeches.” Irish, Slip Jig. D
Major. Standard tuning. AB. The combination of a glass of beer and a shot of
whiskey goes by the name 'boilermaker' in some bars. In many 19th
century saloons, even in New York City, the only beverages served were whiskey
and beer. Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes),
1940; pg. 58. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection,
1883; pg. 87.

WHISKEY BEFORE BREAKFAST. AKA and see "Spirits of the Morning."
Canadian (originally), Old‑Time; Breakdown. D Major. Standard tuning.
AABB. A widely known tune, often mistaken for an old traditional old‑time
tune (it was even listed on one album as "an Irish tune which has been
popular in America for a number of years”). It has generally been credited to
the mid‑twentieth century by Manitoba, Canada, fiddler and composer Andy
de Jarlis (known for his fine waltzes) probably on the strength of his
copyrighted arrangement (it is a common practice among music publishers to
copyright arrangements of traditional tunes). " “Whiskey Before Breakfast”
was included in de Jarlis’ book Canadian
Fiddle Tunes from Red River Valley (1957), where he is credited for the
arrangement only.According to Paul
Gifford, the tune’s popularity in the United States is fairly recent, probably
stemming from its inclusion on a Voyager Records LP called “More Fiddle
Favorites,” by Canadian fiddle champion Lloyd Sexsmith, who probably learned it
from de Jarlis (sometimes DesJarlis). It is often used as musical accompaniment
for the quadrille 'Reel of Eight' in Canada. Gibbons (1982) notes that
“Whiskey” is a favorite of Metis (native American) dance troupes in Western
Canada, and in this connection Gifford suggests that de Jarlis learned the tune
from Metis fiddler Teddy Boy Houle’s father (de Jarlis himself had Metis
blood). It seems that de Jarlis and the elder Houle were up playing till dawn
with the aid of libation before finally passing out.On finally awaking, de Jarlis remembered the last tune they
played and perhaps gave it the “Whiskey” name. Perlman (1979) identifies it as
coming from Canada's Maritime provinces where it is called "Spirits of the
Morning." It has been pointed out by several sources that the ‘A’ section
is similar to the older melodies “Liverpool
Hornpipe,” “Great Eastern,”
“Bennett’s Favorite” and the Irish
reels “Silver Spire” and “Greenfields of America,”
however, the original source for all these tunes may be “Speed the Plow.”
Folksinger/multiinstrumentalist Mike Cross wrote words to the melody which have
become popular in Bluegrass circles (Bryan Bowers also recorded his song).
Sources for notated versions: Frank Lowery (Prince Georges, British Columbia)
[Gibbon]; Clem Myers [Phillips]; Dick Barrett [Phillips]. Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; pg. 290. Frets Magazine, April 1989; pg. 64.
Gibbons (As It Comes: Folk Fiddling From
Prince George, British Columbia), 1982; No. 3, pgs. 14‑15 (includes
variations). Phillips (Traditional
American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 1, 1994; pgs. 254-255 (two versions).
Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; pg. 168. Sing Out!, 198‑, pg. 75. Spandaro
(10 Cents a Dance), 1980; pg. 20. American Heritage 19A, Loyd Wanzer‑ "Plain and
Fancy Fiddlin.'" Bay 204, "The Arkansas Sheiks." Fretless 103,
"Clem Myers: Northeast Regional Fiddle Champion 1967 & 1970."
June Appal 003, John McCutcheon ‑ "How Can I Keep From
Singing?" (1975. Learned from Ben Hensley, Speedwell, Tenn.). London EBX
4118, Andy DeJarlis ‑ "Backwoods Fiddle Tunes.' Marimac 9017, Vesta
Johnson (Mo.) ‑ "Down Home Rag." Missouri State Old Time
Fiddlers Association 002, Taylor McBaine (Mo.) ‑ "Boone County
Fiddler." Revonah RE‑924, "The West Orrtanna String Band"
(1977). Rounder 0063, Norman Blake‑ "Whiskey Before Breakfast."
Voyager 304, Dick Barrett‑ "More Fiddle Jam Sessions."

WHISTLE OVER/O'ER (THE LAVE
O'T). AKA and see “Maggie Pickens,” “Nancy
Wants Her Own Share.” Scottish (originally), English; Rant or Strathspey.
England, Northumberland. G Major (most versions): E Flat Major (Emmerson). Standard
tuning. One part (Emmerson, Hunter): AAB (S. Johnson, Kerr, Neil, Skinner):
AABB (Alburger, Hall & Stafford, Raven): ABCCDD (Martin): AABCCD (Athole),
AABBCCDD (Bremner, Glen, Gow, McGlashan). The tune (and song, both extent in
several versions) appears to be an early 18th century set of "De'il Stick
the Minister," although it has often been attributed to dancing master
John Bruce of Dumfries (c. 1720‑1785, born in Braemar), the poet Robert
Burns being the first to do so. Others (e.g. Mayne) say the air was composed
long before him, and Emmerson (1971) finds in all little evidence to support
claims for Bruce. A colorful character, Bruce was a Jacobite, born in Braemar
between 1700 and 1720, who was imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle after the rising
of 1745 and the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie. Reportedly his skill as a
fiddler helped free him and he went to Dumfries where he became acquainted with
Robert Burns (who called him "an honest man, though a red wud
Highlander") before passing away in 1785 (Collinson, 1966/Alburger, 1983).
Grattan Flood (1906), whose scholarship always requires a skeptical reading,
says the tune was originally an Irish air dating back to the 17th century
called "Maggie Pickens,"
which the Scots appropriated c. 1715‑1740 and set to the song
"Whistle O'er the Lave O't" (whose words were so indelicate,
according to Flood, that Robert Burns had to rewrite them in 1790.

***

The tune has long been employed as a
march. For example, it was a favorite march of the Irish Volunteers (1774‑1784),
and (alternating with “The British Grenadiers”) it has been the march-past
melody of the Royal Highland Fusiliers.

***

"Whistle's"
first printed appearance was in 1757 in either Robert Bremner's Scots Reels {as Glen, 1891, finds} or
James Oswald's Caledonian Pocket
Companion where it appears in rant form. Alburger searched the Blaikie Manuscript (1692), as it had
been reported by James Dick to be contained there, however she could not locate
it in the Wighton copy. It is one of the "missing tunes" from William
Vickers' 1770 Northumbrian dance manuscript, but is contained in the 1768 Gillespie Manuscript of Perth. O’Neill
(1922) prints a version from the Caledonian Muse (1785) that he says is
identical to that published by Bremner.

***

Today, the
version that was published by James Scott Skinner
(1890) is commonly associated with the Scottish traditional dance "Sean(n)
Triubhas," along with "Gin ye kiss my
Wife," which Skinner says is the “original tune” of the dance. Seann
Triubhas (‘The Shoddy Breeks’) is performed in tartan trousers, not kilts,
although other items of Highland dress remain the same. Christine Martin (2002)
says the Seann Triubhais is the youngest of the traditional Highland dances and
was devised sometime after the Battle of Culloden, when the wearing of the kilt
was outlawed and tartan trousers were substituted. Martin dates the dance to
1783, and says Bruce (the dancing master, noted above) employed the “Whistle
o’er the Lave o’t” tune for it. In fact, states Emmerson (1972)
"Whistle" is so intimately associated with the dance that it is now
commonly known as "Seann Triubhas" (see also note for "Seann
Triubhas Willighan," the original tune for the dance). O’Neill (1922)
noted that it was “the statement of Joseph Cant of Chicago, a first prize
winner at several piping competitions; that it was the favorite tune for the
Sean Truis or "Old Man's Dance" in his native Perthshire. The rhythm
of it was deemed more suitable to the requirements of dancers burdened with
years than the preceding tune (“Shaun Truish Willichan”). On such excellent
authority it has been included in this classification.” David Murray, writing
in his book Music of the Scottish
Regiments (Edinburgh, 1994), says: “The dance is said to express the
disgust of the Highlanders at being forced to wear trousers instead of the kilt
under the terms of the Disarming Act of 1747—although some of the steps and arm
movements, which are claimed to illustrate this disgust, owe more to the ballet
training undergone by a prominent Highland dancer of the nineteenth century
than to the native Highland tradition.” (pg. 179).

***

The song "Whistle o'er the lave
o't" was written in the 17th century and contains ribald lyrics which can
be found in David Herd's Ancient and
Modern Scottish Songs. “One of many Scots songs with indelicate
suggestions,” notes Purser (1992), “‘fiddling’ has long been a double-entendre
and whistling a way of avoiding the over-explicit.” Burns’ words (which poke
fun at the institution of marriage) go, in part:

WHISTLER’S WALTZ [2].Old-Time,
Waltz. D Major. Standard tuning. ABC. Source Malloy said it was “an old tune
played at fiddle contests.” The tune is not related to “Whistler’s Waltz” [1],
by Lloyd Wanzer. John Beland remarks in a communication that it is odd that the
dissimilar tunes are similarly titled, for Wanzer and Harold Allen (who
recorded the tune) knew each other, and are credited with co-composing “The
Black Velvet Waltz.”Source for notated
version: Frank Malloy [Devil’s Box]. The
Devil’s Box, vol. 16, No. 4, pg. 13. American
Heritage Music Corporation AH-4-1-4, Harold Allen – “Fiddling Around.”

WHISTLING REUBEN. Old‑Time. Perhaps "Whistling Rufus." The title appears in a list
of traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist
Vance Randolph, published in 1954.

WHISTLING RUFUS. AKA and see "Way Down South (in Dixie)."
Old‑Time; Two-Step. USA; Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Missouri,
Arkansas, Arizona. G Major {Beisswenger & McCann, Phillips}: G Major ('A'
and 'B' parts) & C Major ('C' part). Standard tuning. AB (Beisswenger &
McCann, Phillips): AAB (Brody). The tune was composed in 1899 by Kerry Mills
(1869-1948, who also composed “Georgia
Camp Meeting” and “Red Wing”), at the
beginning of the ragtime era. It was described at the time of its publication
as a “characteristic march”
but with the addition that it “can be used effectively as a two-step, polka or
cakewalk.” The first page of the original music also records that:

***

No cakewalk given in
the Black Belt district of Alabama was

considered
worth while attending unless “Whistling Rufus” was

engaged to
furnish the music. Unlike other musicians, Rufus always

performed
alone, playing an accompaniment to his whistling on an

old guitar,
and it was with great pride that he called himself the

“one-man
band.”

***

Cauthen (1990), however, calls it a minstrel
composition that passed into fiddling tradition, although on what authority she
suggests the predating of Mills is not known.Arizona fiddler Kenner C. Kartchner identified it as a "good two‑step
from around 1900" (Shumway). It was played by Rock Ridge, Alabama,
fiddlers around 1920 and it appears in a list of traditional Ozark Mountain
fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in
1954. Stacy Phillips (1995) notes that the first section is sometimes bowed
right next to the bridge, resulting in a whistle-like tone. The tune was in the
repertoire of West Virginia fiddler Edden Hammons. It was recorded on a
cylinder record around 1899 by Vess L. Ossman, the pre-eminent banjo player of
the 1890’s, nicknamed “The Banjo King.” Early 78 RPM recordings include Gid
Tanner & Riley Puckett (1924), Ernest Thompson (1924), McLaughlin’s Old Time
Melody Makers (1928), the Kessinger Brothers (1929) and Arkie the Arkansas
Woodchopper (1941) [see Guthrie Meade, Country Music Sources, 2002]. See
also related melodies “Old Parnell
Reel” and “North Carolina
Breakdown.”

***

“Whistling Rufus” was popularized in Scotland and
Ireland by Scottish accordion player and dance-band leader Jimmy Shand, who
recorded it in the 1950’s.

WHITE-BACKED BROWN COW, THE (Druimfionn Donn Oilir). AKA
and see "Colly, My Cow."
Irish. The air was composed in 1648. A version was rendered into English by the
Irish actor Thomas Dogget and sung by him in 1690 as "Colly My Cow."

WHITE BLANKET [1], THE
(An Súisín Bán). AKA and see
"Súisín Bán."
Irish, Long or Set Dance (2/4 or 4/4 time). G Major (Mulvihill, O'Neill, Roche,
Tubridy, Vallely, Williamson): A Major. Standard tuning. One part
(O'Neill/1001, Williamson): AABB (Mulvihill, O'Neill, Roche, Tubridy, Vallely).
The title is sometimes known in Englished Gaelic as "The Suisheen
Bawn." Musically, it begins on the subdominant chord and for those
versions with separate parts, the 'A' and 'B' parts are not the same lengths,
as is not uncommon in set dances. However, there are many and diverse variants
of the melody. An early version of the melody appears in Neales’ Collection of the Most Celebrated Irish
Tunes (Dublin, 1726), the first real collection of Irish folk music (Ó
Canainn, 1978). O’Neill’s “The Maid
without Dower” may be a related melody. “An Súisíin Bán” is also a sean-nós song that appears in Hyde’s Love Songs of Connaught (1893). Dr.
Douglas Hyde (1860-1949) of Castlerea, County Roscommon was a scholar, a
founder of the modern Irish theatre, and one of the seven co-founders of the
Gaelic League. He was elected its first president, and later, in 1938 was
unanimously acclaimed Ireland’s first president. Cotter (Traditional Irish Tin Whistle Tutor), 1989; 92. Mulvihill (1st Collection), 1986; No.
10, p. 111. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; p. 223. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 1794, p. 335. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems),
1907; No. 981, p. 168. Roche Collection,
vol. 2; No. 273, p. 30. Tubridy (Irish
Traditional Music, Book Two), 1999; p. 15. Vallely (Learn to Play the
Fiddle with Armagh Pipers Club), 197?; No. 30, p. 29. Williamson (English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle
Tunes), 1976; pg. 79. Cló Iar Chonnachta CICD 165, John Wynne & John McEvoy –
“Pride of the West” (2007). RCA 09026-60916-2, The Chieftains - "An Irish
Evening" (1991). Shanachie 79024, “Chieftains 4.” Shanachie 79024,
"Chieftains 4" (1972‑73, 1983. Learned by Uilleann piper Paddy
Moloney from Junior Crehan at the funeral of Irish piping great Willie Clancy
{Alun Owen}). Gearóid O hAllmhuráin - "Traditional Music From Clare and
Beyond" (appears as “An Cuisin Ban”).

WHITE BLANKET [3], THE (An Súisín Bán). Irish, Air (3/4 time). B Flat Major
(O'Sullivan/Bunting). Standard tuning (fiddle). One part. O'Sullivan (1983)
notes there are several versions of both air and words extant under different
titles and refers to a list given in DOSB vol. 1, pg. 65 (in conjunction with
the song "The Twisting of the Rope"). This air retains some currency
among traditional musicians today. Source for notated version: the Irish
collector Edward Bunting noted the melody at Deel Castle, Ballina, County Mayo,
in 1792, according to the index of his 1840 collection. O'Sullivan/Bunting,
1983; No. 71, pp. 111-112.

WHITE
CALF, THE. Irish, Air (9/8 time). D Mixolydian. Standard tuning.
AB. Source for notated version: "Copied from a MS. book lent to me by
Surgeon‑Major‑General King of Dublin (about 1885), who copied them
40 years previously from an old MS. book in Cork" (Joyce). Joyce (Old Irish Folk Music and Song), 1909;
No. 368, pg. 169.

WHITE COCKADE [1], THE (An Cnota Bán). AKA and see "The Duke of Buccleugh's Tune,"
"The Ranting
Highlander/Highlandman," "Fiddler's
Morris," "A
Highland Lad My Love Was Born,” "The
Highland Laddie [3]," "The Lad With the White Cockade,"
"O, An Ye Were Dead, Guidman,”
“The Rose in the Garden” (a Kings County, PEI title), "White Cock Head." Scottish (originally), Irish,
English, Canadian, American; Scottish Measure, Reel, March, or Country Dance.
USA; New England, New Hampshire, Maine, southwestern Pa., New York, Michigan.
Canada, Prince Edward Island. G Major (most versions): C Major (Howe/Accordeon):
F Major (Kershaw). Standard tuning. AB (Bayard, Kershaw, O'Neill/1850, Skye):
AAB (Linscott): AABB (most versions). The tune in its original form is properly
catagorized a Scottish Measure. One of the first printings of the air is in
Playford's Apollo's Banquet of 1687
where it was called simply a "Scots tune," and another early title
seems to have been "The Duke of Buccleugh's Tune." Bayard (1981)
dates the tune to the latter 17th century (apparently due to the Playford
publication), but admits it might be older, although Flood (1906) more
decisively (though without documentation) identifies it as a popular air and
song of 1615‑1630. Linscott (1939) finds a relatively late printing by
Herd in 1776, by which time the air was thoroughly established.

***

A
cockade was a ribbon in the shape of a rosette used as a decoration on hats,
and thus was a convenient vehicle to display the wearer’s loyalties in much the
same manner as a button or a bumper sticker nowadays. It was used especially as
a uniform decoration and to mark irregular troops in the 18th
century and various colors represented different loyalties. A white cockade was
associated with Jacobite rebels in 1715 and again for Bonnie Prince Charlie’s
uprising in 1745, in both Scotland and Ireland. The Americans, with a high
percentage of both Scots-Irish and Irish in their ranks who identified with the
earlier rebels, adopted the white cockade as their symbol during the
Revolutionary War and when France entered the war they added the black cockade
of that country’s troops, forming the black and white “Alliance cockade”
(Johnson, Scottish Fiddle Music in the
18th Century, 1984, and others). It is popularly though the title of the
tune refers to a these Jacobite symbols. Jacobite associations to it dimmed by
the end of the century, allowing the tune to be absorbed (like the Highlander’s
kilts) and used as a march in the British army in 1812 where it appears in a
military musician's manuscript book of the period (Winstock). Other military
citations include it as one of two stirring tunes (along with "St.
Patrick's Day in the Morning") played by pipers attached to the Irish
Brigade in the service of France which helped to turn the tide of battle
against the English troops in the battle of Fontenoy on May 11, 1745 (O’Neill,
1913). Flood (1906) and O’Neill (1913) state it was probably the last
appearance in battle of the Irish Piob mor (war pipes or great pipes, which did
survive in Scotland) of any mention.

***

The
title is from a Jacobite song from the 18th century written by Muiris mac
Daibhi mac Gerailt (Maurice FitzDavid FitzGerald) perhaps after, it has been
variously suggested, the fashion of wearing white ribboned plumes in men's hats
of the time or possibly to the white cockade which Dublin ladies wore in their
hair to show their support of the House of Stewart. Breathnach (CRE II) reports that Seán Ó Dálaigh
wrote a note to this song stating that it refers not, as many think, to a
military cockade but rather to bouquets of ribbons worn by the young women of
Munster at weddings and other such occasions early in the 17th century. Donald
Mattson (1974) also believes the title “White Cockade” has nothing to do with a
military cockade but rather refers to a bouquet. This custom is referred to in
a verse Ó Dálaigh attributes to the period poet Muiris Mac Gearailt:

***

A chailín donn deas an chnota bháin,

Do bhuair is mheall mé le h-iomad grá;

Tair-se liom 's ná de/an me/ chrá,

Mar do thug mé greann dod' chnota bán.

***

Oh pretty brown girl of the white cockade,

Who grieved and charmed me with abundance of love;

Come with me and don't torment me,

Because I mocked your white cockade.[translation by Paul de Grae]

***

Scots
poet Robert Burns rewrote the lyrics as “A Highland Lad my Love was Born,” but
the tune itself seems to have been more popular than even his song, and it was
often used as a vehicle for various songs about love, topography, and drinking
(see "The Ranting
Highlander," "The Highland Laddie," "Fiddler's
Morris"). {As an aside, Burn’s originally specified his lyric be sung to
the tune of the song "O, and ye were dead, Guidman,” which was written to
the melody of "Watson's
Scotch Measure"}. In America, the tune was published by Philadelphia
publishers Benjamin and Joseph Carr in Evening
Amusement (1796). The melody appears in the music manuscript copybook of
Henry Livingston, Jr.Livingston purchased
the estate of Locust Grove, Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1771 at the age of 23.
In 1775 he was a Major in the 3rd New York Regiment, which
participated in Montgomery’s invasion of Canada in a failed attempt to wrest
Montreal from British control. An important land-owner in the Hudson Valley,
and a member of the powerful Livingston family, Henry was also a surveyor and
real estate speculator, an illustrator and map-maker, and a Justice of the
Peace for Dutchess County. He was also a poet and musician, and presumably a
dancer, as he was elected a Manager for the New York Assembly’s dancing season
of 1774-1775, along with his 3rd cousin, John Jay, later U.S. Chief
Justice of Governor of New York. “White Cockade” was still commonly played at
Orange County, New York, country dances in the 1930's (Lettie Osborn, New York Folklore Quarterly). The tune
is associated with a dance of the same name in New England, and one set appears
in Linscott’s Folk Songs of Old New
England; Johnson also prints a Scottish contra dance to the tune. Burchenal
(1918) gives the tune as commonly played in that region for the contra dance
Camptown Hornpipe. It was listed in the repertoire of Maine fiddler Mellie
Dunham (the elderly Dunham was Henry Ford's champion fiddler in the late 1920's).
The title appears in Henry Robson's list of popular Northumbrian song and dance
tunes ("The Northern Minstrel's Budget"), which he published c. 1800.
The English novelist Thomas Hardy, himself an accordion player and fiddler,
mentions the tune in scene notes to his drama The Dynasts:

***

It is a June Midnight at The Duke & Duchess ofRichmond's. A band

of stringed instruments shows in the background. The
room is crowded

with a brilliant assemblage of more than two hundred
of the distinguished

people sojourning in the city on account of the war
and other reasons, and

of local personages of State and fashion. The ball has
opened with 'The

White Cockade.'

***

The
author of English Folk-Song and Dance
(pg. 144) found the tune in the repertoire of fiddler William Tilbury (who
lived at Pitch Place, midway between Chrut and Thursley in Surrey), who, in his
young days, used to play the fiddle at village dances. Tilbury learned his
repertoire from an uncle, Fiddler Hammond, who died around 1870 and who was the
village musician before him. The conclusion was that “The White Cockade” and
similar old country dance tunes survived in tradition (at least in southwest
Surrey) well into the second half of the 19th century. A jig form of the tune
is known as "A Hundred Pipers and A’." The melody is contained in the
Joseph Kershaw manuscript. Kershaw was a fiddler who lived in Slackcote,
Saddleworth, North West England, in the 19th century, and his
manuscript dates from around 1820 onwards.

WHITE FISH IN THE RAPIDS. American, Reel. USA, northern
Michigan. B Flat Major. Standard tuning. AABB. Old-Time. Paul Gifford remarks
that this tune was supposedly written by Henry Thorne (1841-1928), “a
part-Indian Civil War veteran who played for Henry Ford….around Sault Ste.
Marie, Michigan, it was the real ‘local’ tune.” Paul also remarks that the
Native Americans around the St. Mary’s River depended on the whitefish on the
rapids. See also the closely related tunes "Good for the Tongue" and "Jenkins' Hornpipe." Source for
notated version: Wendy Kosocoff [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 1, 1994; pg. 255.

WHITE FRIAR’S HORNPIPE. English, Hornpipe. G Major.
Standard tuning. AABB. The melody appears in Walsh’s third collection of
Lancashire tunes (Lancashire Jiggs,
Hornpipes, Joaks, etc.) published around the year 1730. The White Friars
were the Carmelites, so-called because the dressed in white.

WHITE HEAD CABAGES.AKA – “Easter Tuesday [2].” English, Jig. G Major. Standard tuning. The
melody was printed by John Walsh in the Second
Book of the Compleat Country Dancing Master (London, 1719), as “White Hard
Cabages,” and again in Walsh’s 3rd edition of the same work (London,
1735 and 1749), under the corrected title “White Head Cabages.” It was also
printed by John Young in his Dancing Master, vol. 2 of 1718 and 1728 (editions
3 and 4).

WHITE HEATHER [2].Scottish, Jig. The tune was a signature tune for the
radio show of Scottish piano accordion player Jimmy Shands, and much beloved of
Scottish Country Dancers.

WHITE HILLS OF DEAR IRELAND, THE (Ban-chnoic Éireann Ogh). AKA
and see "Uailleacan Dhuv Ó!"
"Song of Sorrow." Irish, Air
(4/4 time, "lively"). G Mixolydian. Standard tuning. AAB. The song
(which also translates as "The Fair Hills of Ireland") is included in
Joyce’s Irish Music and Song. It was
written by Donncha Rua Mac Con Mara, born in Cratloe, County Clare, in
1715.Mac Con Mara was groomed for the
priesthood in Rome until he was expelled for his "wildness." He
returned to Ireland in 1740 to take a schoolmaster's position in Waterford,
then journeyed to Newfoundland in 1745 where he stayed until 1756. It is likely
he wrote the still popular "Ban Chnoic Éireann Ó" while in the new
world.

WHITE JOAK/JOKE, THE. AKA – “White Jack.” English, Jig. England,
Northumberland. D Major (Walsh): G Major (Bush). Standard tuning. AABB. There
were several tunes named in association with the popular “Black Joke,” with
different colours specified in the title: white, brown, green, etc. John Glen
(1891) finds the earliest appearance of the tune in print in Robert Ross's 1780
collection (pg. 38), however,“The White Joak” appeared much earlier in Walsh’s Lancashire Jiggs, Hornpipes, Joaks, etc.
(c. 1730), as well as Walsh’s Dancing
Master (1731), and subsequently in several ballad operas. Samuel Bayard
finds it under the title “White Lime” in Nicholas Bennett’s Alawon fy Ngwlad (I, pg. 45). It also
appears in the manuscript collection of Captain George Bush (1753?-1797), an
officer in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, believed to have
been copied from a now-lost fife tutor printed in Philadelphia in 1776 by Hall
and Sellers. Kate Van Winkler Keller says the tune dates from the 1720’s and
was used throughout the 18th century as a vehicle for songs and dances.
Samuel Bayard (in his article “A Miscellany of Tune Notes,” Studies in Folklore, pg. 170) finds a version of the tune printed
under the title “White Lime” in Nicholas Bennett’s Welsh publication Alawon fy Ngwlad (1896, I, pg. 45). The
parts are asymmetrical in William Vickers’ Northumbrian version of 1770, the
first having eight bars while the second has twelve. Vickers also has repeated
‘tag’ measures at the end of each part. Source for notated version: the Bush MS
[Keller]. Keller (Fiddle Tunes from the American Revolution), 1992; pg.
16. Offord (John of the Greeny Cheshire
Way), 1985; No. 107. Seattle (William
Vickers), 1987, Part 2; No. 207. Shy Music SHYCD1,
Stewart Hardy – “Tod’s Assembly.”

WHITE PETTICOAT, THE (An Cota-Beag Ban). AKA and see “Handy with the Stick.” Irish
(originally), English; Double Jig. England, North‑West. E Minor. Standard
tuning. AABB. One of the few tunes in O’Neill’s in aeolian minor (nearly all
minor-sounding tunes are in dorian). The provenance of the tune is not
known—many have remarked on its unusual nature in the context of the bulk of
O’Niell’s collection, and the melody is only sourced to Francis O’Neill himself
(a very loose source attribution, as O’Neill often put his name to tunes he
learned from in the course of years of playing with Irish musicians from
Chicago and other areas). “Handy with the Stick” is a related and possibly
earlier tune. Knowles (Northern Frisk),
1988; No. 38. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; pg. 74. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1979; No. 773, pg. 144. Green Linnet SIF 1149, Joe Derrane – “Give Us Another.”
Green Linnet SIF 1160, Patrick Street – “Cornerboys.” Shanchie 78002, “Solas.”
Patty Furlong – “Traditional Irish Music on the Button Accordion” (1999).

WHITE
RIVER. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Missouri. A Major. AEac#
tuning. AABBC. The tune was recorded for the Library of Congress by
musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, from the playing of Ozark Mountain
fiddlers in the early 1940's. The White River flows through southern Missouri
and northern Arkansas and into the Mississippi River at Scrubgrass Bend, above
Rosedale, Mississippi. The tune was “a special tune” played in the Goforth
family repertoire for generations, according to the liner notes of Gene
Goforth’s album, however, John Hartford (2001) says it is “one of those ancient
Ozark tunes that nobody seems to know its origin.” Howe Teague learned it when
he was young, and said he thought he had learned it from influential fiddler
Roy Wooliver, and also cited another local fiddler, Buck Sullivan, as another
he remembered playing it (Beisswenger & McCann, 2008). Drew Beisswenger
(2008) notes similarities with other Ozark tunes “Old Charlie Deckard,” “Bear Creek Sally Goodin’,” and
“Broken-Legged Chicken,”
all of whom he says resemble parts of the well-known “Old Dan Tucker.” Source for notated
version: Howe Teague (1913-2005, Dent County, Missouri) [Beisswenger &
McCann]. Beisswenger & McCann (Ozark Fiddle Music), 2008; pg. 150. Grey Eagle 101, Howe Teague – “Now That’s a Good Tune:
Masters of Missouri Traditional Fiddling” (1989. Various artists). Rounder
CD-0388, Gene Goforth – “Emminence Breakdown” (1997). Rounder 0442, John
Hartford – “Hamilton Ironworks” (2001). Rounder CD 0435, Howe Teague –
“Traditional Fiddle Music of the Ozarks, vol. 1” (1999. Various artists).

WHITE’S SNOWDEN. English, Air (2/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning.
AABB. A different tune than “Eryi Wen,” above. The tune also appears as “White
Snowdon” in the music manuscript copybook of John Burks, dated 1821, who may
have been from the north of England (photocopy in possession of the editor). It
is nearly identical with Gibbon’s version. Source for notated version: the
1823-26 music mss of papermaker and musician Joshua Gibbons (1778-1871, of Tealby,
near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire Wolds) [Sumner]. Sumner (Lincolnshire Collections, vol. 1: The Joshua Gibbons Manuscript),
1997; pg. 95.

WHITE STAR REEL. American, Reel. G Major. Standard tuning. AABB. Al
Smitley suggests the tune may possibly have been named for the clipper ship White Star, a name that appears in American Clipper Ships 1833-1858 by Howe
and Matthews. Much more likely, however, is that the melody was named for the
White Star Line, a steamship company launched in 1870, officially called the
Oceanic Steam Navigation Company. The
Titanic was a White Star ship, as were many other ships whose names ended
with “ic” (Celtic and Adriatic). They were known for their
comfortable, often luxurious accommodations, and, though this compromised
speed, the ships were the favourites of the leisured classes. Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 41. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, 1883; pg. 68.

WHITEHAVEN VOLUNTEERS. English, Country Dance Tune (2/4
time). G Major. Standard tuning. AABB. The melody is in a similar vein to “Petronella.” The Whitehaven Volunteers were
probably a local militia unit raised during the Napoleonic Wars, from
Whitehaven, Cumbria, England, although Barry Callaghan says they were raised
for the American War of Independence in 1778. A racing purse in the name of the
Whitehaven Volunteers (‘The Whitehaven Volunteers’ Plate’) survived until at
least until the mid-1860’s when winners for the Whitehaven racecourse were
announced in the racing calendars. It is sometimes played as a hornpipe,
schottische or barndance, depending on the amount of “swing” or dotted rhythms
are employed. Source for notated version: the music manuscript collection of
William Docker (Newby Head, Cumbria) [Callaghan, Knowles]. Callaghan (Hardcore English), 2007; pg. 54. Knowles
(A Northern Lass), 1995; pg. 15. Harbourtown Records HARCD 047, The Boat Band – “A Trip to
the Lakes” (2006).

WHITESBURG.
Old-Time, Breakdown. A Major/Mixolydian. Standard tuning. ABB'. The 'G' notes
may be either sharp or natural. Kentucky fiddler Santford Kelly recorded a tune
called “Whitesbury of Old Kentucky,” later recorded by bluegrass musician Ricky
Scaggs on a Rebel LP as “Whitesburg.” Source for notated version: Evan Stover
(NY) with Fiddle Fever [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 1, 1994; pg. 256.

WHITESIDE’S HORNPIPE.
Irish, Hornpipe. G Major. Standard tuning. AABB. O’Neill (1922) says of his source: “James Whiteside, the
‘Bard of Bray’, County Wicklow, was a genius—scholar, poet, musician, composer.
Born in County Monaghan in 1844, he retired after 40 years service as a
schoolteacher at Bray. His playing of the violin won two first honors at two
Feiseanna. An interesting sketch of his life appears on pages 384-7,
{O’Neill’s} Irish Minstrels and Musicians.”
Source for notated version: James Whiteside [O’Neill]. O’Neill (Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody),
1922; No. 320.

WHITTINGHAM FAIR. AKA and see "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and
Thyme." English, Air (6/8 time). England, Northumberland. E Minor.
Standard tuning. One part. "This is another example of the enigmatically
duolinear ballad, and popular in the north and west of the county of
Northumberland; it is also known in several parts of England, but is sung
usually as a nursery ballad" (Bruce & Stokoe). It is a variant of the
better-known “Scarborough Fair,” however, both songs derived from the Child
Ballad No 2., “The Elfin Knight.” “Whittingham” is pronounced ‘Whitting-jum’,
and is a village in Northumberland, about 20 miles south of the Scottish
border. It was is the site for the Whittingham Show, also called the
Whittingham Games or Whittingham Fair, a country fair (held on the third week
of August) that goes back many hundreds of years.

WHO HATH HIS FANCY
PLEAS'D.
English, Air (irregular meter). G Major. Standard. One part. The tune is
"Wilhelmus van Nassauen," which has remained the Dutch national
anthem to the present day. The words have been attributed to Sir Philip Sidney.
Kines, 1964; pg. 76.

WHO
LEARNED YOU TO DANCE AND A TOWDLE. AKA ‑ "Who Learned You to
Dance, Babbity Bowster {bolster}."AKA and see "Country Bumpkin."Scottish, Reel. D Major. Standard tuning.
AB. The tune, which Emmerson (1972) calls "one of the most common of
Scottish tunes...yet on the lips of every Lowland child," first appears
under this name in the Skene Manuscript
(c. 1620). It was later collected from tradition, from girls playing on the
streets of Glasgow, and printed with words beginning "Who learned you to
dance, Babbity Bowster {bolster}, Babbity Bowster." The tune was
associated with the cushion dance, an old kissing dance performed with a pillow
(See note for "Babbity Bowster"). Alburger (Scottish Fiddlers and Their Music), 1983; Ex. 2, pgs. 16‑17.

WHO LIST TO LEAD A
SOLDIER'S LIFE. English, Country Dance Tune (6/4 time). A Major.
Standard tuning. AB. This air, from the latter sixteenth century, appears in
Playford's Dancing Master of 1650. As
was usual for popular tunes, it was later used as the vehicle for several
songs. Chappell (Popular Music of the
Olden Times), Vol. 1, 1859; pg. 303.

X:1

T:Who list to lead a soldier’s life

M:6/4

L:1/8

S:Chappell – Popular
Music of the Olden Times (1859)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s
Companion

K:A

A2 | c3d e2 c3BA2 | B4 G2 E4B2 | c3d e2 A3BA2 | (B6 B4) ||

B2 | c3d e2 c3BA2 | B4G2 E3D C2 | D3EF2
E3F G2 | (A6 A6) ||

WHO LIVETH SO MERRY. English, Ballad Air (3/4 time). G
Major. Standard tuning. AA. This late sixteenth century air appears in Deuteromelia (1609) and Pills to Purge Melancholy (1698). Kines
(1964) notes it was an early song built on occupations, which must have proved
popular, for many other such songs are found later in the 17th century in Pills to Purge Melancholy. Chappell (Popular Music of the Olden Times), vol.
1, 1859; pg. 137. Kines (Songs From
Shakespeare's Plays and Popular Songs of Shakespeare's Time), 1964; pg. 90.

WHO SPILT THE PO?
Irish, Polka. Ireland, Sliabh Luachra. A polka that the late Jack Connell, of
Lighthouse, Ballydesmond, used to play, according to Donal Hickey (Stone Mad for Music, 1999). The story of
the title goes that a man was walking into town to get his usual draught of
stout, usually carried home in an earthernware crock, in those days. He had
forgotten his jar, but his wife had purchased that day a new chamber pot, a
‘po’, and seeing this as a suitable substitute he had the publican fill the
vessel. On the way home, however, ‘the road was rough, the donkey was tough and
that’s how I spilt the po.’

WHO WILL DANDLE MY MARY?(Co a ni
mire ri Mairi). Scottish, Slow Air (9/8 time). G Major. Standard
tuning. AAB. This tune "is a tender lullaby or baby‑song, to which
Mrs. Fraser of Bruiach, formerly mentioned, composed admirable verses, while
dandling her daughter, the present Mrs. Nicholson of Inverness. There are,
however, other words more ancient. The mention of its being a 'baby‑song'
will lead the poet into the train of ideas suited to it" (Fraser). Fraser
(The Airs and Melodies Peculiar to the
Highlands of Scotland and the Isles), 1874; No. 175, pg. 71.

WHOA MULE (WHOA) [1]. AKA and see "Fortune," "Kicking Mule." Old‑Time,
Breakdown. USA; Missouri, Oklahoma, Georgia, southwestern Va., western North
Carolina. G Major. Standard tuning. AABB. This "band" tune and tune
title was characteristic of Patrick County, southwestern Va. (Tom Carter &
Blanton Owen, 1976), and Surry County, North Carolina (Kerry Blech). It was one
of the songs recorded in Atlanta, Georgia, by Roba Stanley, fourteen years old,
in August 1924 for OKeh Records. She, “according to country music historians,
became America’s first recorded female country singer (Wayne W. Daniel, Pickin’ on Peachtree, 1990), but sang
the song on the recording as a duet with her father, R.M. “Rob” Stanley, the
winner of the Georgia state fiddling championship in 1920. Sources for notated
versions: Bill Katon (Tebbetts, Missouri) [Christeson]: Max Collins
(Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma) [Thede].

WHOE’ER SHE BE (Be n-Eirinn I). Irish, Air (4/4 time). F Major. Standard tuning. One part.
Joyce (1873) relates that the burden (“Ben-erinn i”) is common to several love
songs and prints a verse from one of the best, written in the 18th century by
the poet William “Blind William,” Herrernan, a native of Shronell, Tipperary
(the entire song can be found in Walsh’s Irish
Popular Songs).

WHOOP(E)!
DO(E) ME NE(E) HARM, GOOD MAN. AKA and see "Paddy Whack [1]." Irish, English;
Country Dance Air (3/4 time). G Mixolydian (Merryweather): D Major (Chappell):
C Mixolydian (Kines). Standard tuning. One part (Kines, Merryweather): AB
(Chappell). Composed by William Corkine, 1610. Chappell (1859) and Merryweather
(1989) point out that the final four bars will support the title words once
(Chappell) or twice (Merryweather), though the lyrics (probably bawdy) have
been lost. The ballad was referred to twice by Shakespeare in A Winter's Tale (act iv, sc. 3).
Chappell's air, which appears in the W. Corkine's First Book of Ayres (1610) was later adapted by Thomas Moore for
use to his song "While History's Muse." The melody Kines uses,
different from Chappell and Merryweather's, was quoted by Sir Fredrick Bridge
from a 17th century viol da gamba book. Chappell (Popular Music of the Olden Times), Vol. 1, 1859; pg. 96. Kines (Songs From Shakespeare's Plays and Popular
Songs of Shakespeare's Time), 1964; pg. 28. Merryweather (Merryweather's Tunes for the English Bagpipe),
1989; pg. 36.

X:1

T:Whoop, do me no harm, good man

L:1/8

M:3/4

S:Chappell - Popular
Music of the Olden Times(1859)

Z:AK/Fiddler's
Companion

K:D

D2|F3G A2|A3G A2|B3A G2|G3F E2|F3G A2|A4
^G2|(A6|A4)||D2|

F3G A2|A3B =c2|B3A G2|E6|d6|D3E E2|E3D
E2|D6||

WHOOP 'EM UP CINDY. AKA and see "Cindy [1]." Old‑Time, Song Tune and
Breakdown. Marimac 9008, The Lazy Aces String Band ‑
"Still Lazy After All These Years" (1986. Learned from Uncle Dave
Macon via the New Lost City Ramblers).

WHO'S BEEN HERE SINCE
I'VE BEEN GONE. Old‑Time, Breakdown. Gerry Milnes relates a
story attached to the tune in which a man returns home after having been away
for a year in the army, only to find a newborn baby in a cradle (some version
have him sneaking in while his wife is out hanging the wash). His reaction: to
take the fiddle down off the wall and play “Who’s Been Here Since I’ve Been
Gone.” Some versions of the story give that his second surprise is that the
fiddle is in a different tuning than the one he plays in. Jeff Titon (2001)
notes that “Who’s been here since I’ve been gone” is a “floating lyric sung by
a cuckold that also turns up in African American tradition” and gives Howlin’
Wolfe’s song “Smokestack Lightning” as a example. Solomon Northrup discussed
slave fiddling in his book 12 Years a Slave and printed the “Who’s been
here…” lyric. See note for “Ways of
the World [2].” See also the related “Pretty Little Girl
with the Blue Dress On” and “Gate
to Go Through.” Gennett 6828 (78 RPM), Doc Roberts
(Ky.). Shanachie Records 6040, Gerry Milnes & Lorriane Lee Hammond – “Hell
Up Coal Holler” (1999. “Old Mose Coffman played this one”).

WHO'S KEEPING TALLY. Old‑Time. The title appears
in a list of traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by
musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954.

WHURRY WHIGS AWA’ MAN!Scottish, Air.The tune was played by a Highland piper in the army of Montrose
during his defeat at Philiphaugh in September, 1645.In typical brave Highland fashion, the piper placed himself on a
small mound near the river Ettrick and proceeded to play to rally his fellow
soldiers until a bullet from the opposing side cut him down. He fell mortally
wounded into the river and drowned, and ever after the spot has been known as
Piper’s Pool. The song can be found in James Hogg’s Jacobite Relics (vol. 2, pg. 63).

WHY ARE MINE EYES STILL FLOWING. English, Air. The air was published
by John Gay in his The Beggar's Opera
(1729), and also appears in D’Urfey’s Pills
to Purge Melancholy, vol. II, (1719). Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 69.

WHY IS YOUR FAITHFUL SLAVE DISDAINED (Bononcini).
English, Air. The air was published by John Gay in his Beggar's Opera (1729), where it appears under the title "If
love the virgin's heart invade." It also appears ("in an indifferent
form," says Kidson {1922}) in Pills
to Purge Melancholy, vol. III, 1719; Pulver (1923) indicates this popular
melody found its way, under different titles, into many ballad operas of the
early 18th century. Raven (English
Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 51.

WHY SHOULD I BE SO SAD ON MY WEDDING DAY?Scottish, Air. The melody was reputedly rung
out by the bells of St. Giles in Edinburgh to signal the Union between Scotland
and England in 1707. An apparently deliberate expression of ambivalence.

WHY SHOULD I NOT LIKE MY LOVE?English, Scottish; Country Dance Tune (9/8).
England, Northumberland. A Minor. Standard tuning. AB. The title (as “Why
Should I Not Love My Love”) appears in Henry Robson's list of popular
Northumbrian song and dance tunes ("The Northern Minstrel's Budget"),
which he published c. 1800. Aird (Selections
of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs), vol. II, 1785; No. 149, pg.
55.

WHY SHOULD NOT POOR FOLK? (Cad fath nach ndeinfadh na boicht?). AKA and see "Jackson's maid at the fair
[1]." Irish, Air (6/8 time). C Major. Standard tuning. ABC. O'Sullivan
(1983) points out the tune, from Bunting's 1840 collection, is really an
extended version of "A ghaoith on nDeas," printed in Bunting's 1809
volume A General Collection of the
Ancient Music of Ireland (pg. 37). A version of the tune appears as
"Jackson's maid at the fair" in O'Farrell's
Pocket Companion for the Irish or Union Pipes (Vol. 1, pg. 771), c. 1811.
Source for notated version: the Irish collector Edward Bunting noted the melody
in 1792 from "the performance of an old man well known by the 'soubriquet'
of 'Poor Folk,' who formerly perambulated the northern counties, playing on a
tin fiddle." O'Sullivan/Bunting, 1983; No. 50, pgs. 79-80.

How pleasant a sailor's life passes,
Who roams o'er the watery main!
No treasure he ever amasses,
But cheerfully spends all his gain.
We're strangers to party and faction,
To honour and honesty true;
And would not commit a bad action
For power or profit in view.
Chorus:
Then why should we quarrel for riches,
Or any such glittering toys;
A light heart, and a thin pair of breeches,
Will go through the world, my brave boys!

WHY, SOLDIERS, WHY?AKA ‑ "How
Stands the Glass Around," "Wolfe's
Song," "The Duke
of Berwick's March." English, March and Song (4/4 time). F Minor.
Standard tuning. AB. The tune appears in The
Patron, a ballad opera, in 1729 and also in Vocal Music (1775) where it is called "A Soldier's Song."
It was popular with English soldiers in the Napoleonic Wars, but associated
with General Wolfe and the capture of Québec in 1759. Erroneously reported to
have been sung by Wolfe the night before he was killed in battle on the Plains
of Abraham (Winstock, 1970). Chappell (Popular
Music of the Olden Times), vol. 2, 1859; pgs. 134‑135.